Tribute to Tilhurst Man

RELAXED and smiling, Chris Kays enjoys himself in a bar in Thailand. Today, his parents are coming to terms with the fact that the Tilehurst quantity surveyor may be one of the scores who died in the nightclub bombing in Bali.

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A grief-stricken school friend of Chris Kays last night spoke of his great loss.

Mr Kays was in the Sari nightclub in Kuta with fellow members of the Singapore Cricket Club's rugby team at the time of the bomb blast. It is feared he was killed in the explosion.

Matt Cross, 31, who had been Chris's pal since the age of 11, said he could imagine him having a pint in his hand at the bar when the blast happened.

He said he was absolutely shocked when he first heard that there was a possibility Chris was in the bar on the night of the tragedy.

Speaking from his home in Wokingham, IT developer Mr Cross said he would miss his friend dearly. He said: "Chris was very outgoing. He was the life and soul of the party. He was a

go-getter and was always up for trying something new," he said.

"He was very much into his rugby from a very young age. That is how we met at Reading School.

"He was very active and seemed to be wanting to fit everything into his life.

"He was the kind of person who would come back at 4am in the morning after a night out but still manage to get up for work. It was amazing how much energy Chris always seemed to have."

Mr Cross remembered how Chris made a special effort to attend his wedding. He said: "He was in Singapore when we fixed a date for the wedding. I was so happy that he could make it.

"I have so many photos of him at the wedding and now I will always look back at that time."

He added: "Chris's work as a quantity surveyor, took him to many different places in the world. He really enjoyed his job. He was very focused at school and always knew what he wanted to do with his life. He eventually went to Kingston University, Surrey, where he studied to become a quantity surveyor.

"Rugby was a hobby which he was very, very serious about.

"He has played with some top rugby players and I think that if he wanted to, he could have made a professional career out of it."

Mr Cross said he learned that Chris may have been involved in the bomb blast in a telephone call from a mutual friend. Having made inquiries with the Foreign Office, he had it confirmed that Chris was in the bar on Saturday night.

Mr Cross said:"I can imagine him coming back after a rugby session and standing in that bar with a pint in his hand.